Haunting Visage

5 - Fear's Embrace

5 - Fear's Embrace
Mazora and Echo were running through the forest. Echo was ahead of Mazora, striking down groups with bolts of lightning, while Mazora threw volatile void bombs from his hand to cover their tracks. If their light didn't kill anything in their way, their weapons cut every adversary down to size. They were conserving as much ammo as possible until they made it to their objective. Echo was wearing down though, and Mazora could notice. Echo was keeping enough strength to continue, but it wasn't enough to continue at the pace they were going.
"Echo, stop here." Mazora called out. Echo slowed down, and Mazora led them over to a cave which was blocked by a fallen tree. Mazora raised his hand to cut it in half but Echo stopped him.
"I've got it, let me." Echo pulled one of the cryo grenades he had off of his waist and threw it on to the tree. It froze on contact, and the tree was covered in a silvery ice. Echo walked up and punched the tree, which shattered like glass.
"Nice work. Let's just take a second and relax." Mazora took his guns off his back and sat on one of the stones in the cave. Echo walked in, also setting his guns down. He sat down across from Mazora, and took his helmet off.
"How long should we stay here? You said speed is what matters yet now we're sitting here in a warzone!"
"It's important to relax when you need it as well. Haste is good, but exhaustion will cost us." Mazora was setting up a fire pit between him and Echo. "Do you know how to use solar light yet?"
"No. I've tried everything from Ikora's teaching, even had Amber try and show me how one time. I just don't think I can do it with my light."
"It's rare for guardians to be able to use all 3 light types, don't beat yourself up about it." Mazora said. He lighted the fire with solar and void light intertwined.
"Then why do I know of so many people who can? You, Ikora, Osiris, Shaxx, Amber, even Aldrec Eido!"
"You are comparing yourself to people who have had a lot more time than you to learn. As for the one's without that much time, it's reasonable to assume that a promising guardian is reborn every now and then. If they are related to powerful figures, much like your friend Amber, the chance for that goes up quite a bit."
Alright, alright. I get it." Echo sighed.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm not very good with arc light compared to you. You've got a gift for using a certain type of light, that's more useful than being able to use all 3 if I'm to give my opinion on it."
"Speaking of your opinion on things, what do you think of what happened?"
"What do you mean?" Mazora held his hands to the fire, even though he didn't need it as an exo in the current conditions.
"The Red War. Do you think it was avoidable?"
"Does it matter? Remember what I told you, the past can't be changed, no matter how much you think about it. I've heard that everybody thinks you're a traitor for helping lost cabal, and that you brought ruin upon the city." Mazora looked Echo in the eyes, who looked like a broken man.
"Do you think that?" Echo asked, his voice shaky. The statements hit him hard, and no amount of armor could protect him from the disdain.
"I think you did what you could, and that you righted what you thought was a wrong. I think you have helped more lost souls than most guardians do for the duration of their years as Risen. And I think you should talk to your friends, time alone with your thoughts can be torment just as much as it can cause relief." Mazora noticed a shift in Echo. He had looked up from the ground and was staring at the fire. "Tell me. After we recover this piece of Nezarec's weapon, what do you plan on doing?"
"Return home."
"Glittertind?"
"No, somewhere else. Somewhere near Glittertind but it's somewhere I haven't been to in a long time."
"You're former home? Why?"
"How did you- you know what, dumb question. But to answer yours, to reflect. Then after, I need to meet with Kanya. Somewhere nice and quiet where we can just talk." Echo noticed the fire going out, and rekindled the flames with void light.
"Love is good, let's you have another reason to keep going." Mazora said. "What about the Winter Legion? You can't let the worries of the few outweigh the needs of the many, I know that you think that deep in your heart."
"I don't think that it's best to let my public image fall anymore, but you're right. I think it's time for the Winter Primus to return. Besides, cabal don't like it when their leaders shy away from the front lines..." Echo looked outside and picked up his helmet. A lot more time had passed than he had thought. But he felt reinvigorated, like he finally had his true strength back. "You think we should go?" Echo reached for his guns and put them on his back. Mazora stood up, kicking some dirt into the fire so it would go out.
"Yes. Ready yourself, they will throw everyone they've got at us to stop us from intervening." Mazora said, cracking his knuckles before picking up his guns off the ground as well. Void light began to fill what looked like cracks in his armor, but was really just a way for him to let his light flow more naturally within his body while keeping him in control. He walked outside to see Echo standing on the hill which the cave was part of. He was looking to the sky, feeling free of his demons, free of fear. Mazora smiled. He was glad to see a man back on track to reaching his full potential.